Little Shepard Cemetery
I know. I'm hardly original in my choice of subject for today. I'd bet there were at least a million cemetery pics posted but this one has some different reasoning than it being a Halloween theme.
The first, and least important, reason is that I finally got off my ass and found a decent circular polarizer for my 28-135mm lens. Nice timing, right? I go out and buy this after all of the fall color is gone. No, I'm not always a smart man.
The second reason for it is because MK and I found this little graveyard in a nearby state park and didn't expect to see anything like it there. I was on the look out for raptors and other local birds when we noticed this headstone from the road. There was really no choice but to swap out my 400mm for my 28-135mm and go wander through this place.
The final, and most important, reason for posting this is that this location was the epitome of why MK and I have both always wanted to be cremated and have our ashes scattered - neglect. This is also an example of why I believe Ryanne wanted to be laid to rest through cremation and distribution as well.
This small graveyard is very old, at least by US standards. The most recent grave we could find was some time in the 1890's but it is also seemingly forgotten. In most cases, the headstones have fallen and the prairie grass has overtaken them. This does not look like a place of peaceful rest and honor for the dead but more a purgatory of forgotten internment. As I walked amongst the markers for the dead, I realized that this felt more like a place where earthly remains have been imprisoned as opposed to a location where they were set free.
Another sad fact that I noticed in this community of the dead is that most of those buried here were children - many under the age of three. Those born into 19th century central Illinois farm families had to be made of sturdy stuff and it was a miracle for any of them to reach adulthood. Life here at that time was rarely easy and not for the weak of resolve or constitution.
There were a number of locations where parents were buried next to the graves of their children. Often, there was quite a gap between the passing of a child and the death of the parents. I'm sure that those parents would understand how MK and I feel that something is missing every day since Ryanne's death. I'm almost sure that they would envy us for having had the amount of time with her that we did along with the fact that we have grown up in a world where it is just expected that your kids will outlive you. That was hardly the case some 160 years ago.
So there you have it. No tricks, no treats, and no celebration of ghouls and goblins. Just another dose of reality from me, Mr Sunshine. I hope you all had a lot of fun with this holiday. Sorry if I was a bit of wet blanket about it but celebrating a night when the dead supposedly walk the Earth really doesn't do anything for me anymore.
Little Shepard Cemetery
I know. I'm hardly original in my choice of subject for today. I'd bet there were at least a million cemetery pics posted but this one has some different reasoning than it being a Halloween theme.
The first, and least important, reason is that I finally got off my ass and found a decent circular polarizer for my 28-135mm lens. Nice timing, right? I go out and buy this after all of the fall color is gone. No, I'm not always a smart man.
The second reason for it is because MK and I found this little graveyard in a nearby state park and didn't expect to see anything like it there. I was on the look out for raptors and other local birds when we noticed this headstone from the road. There was really no choice but to swap out my 400mm for my 28-135mm and go wander through this place.
The final, and most important, reason for posting this is that this location was the epitome of why MK and I have both always wanted to be cremated and have our ashes scattered - neglect. This is also an example of why I believe Ryanne wanted to be laid to rest through cremation and distribution as well.
This small graveyard is very old, at least by US standards. The most recent grave we could find was some time in the 1890's but it is also seemingly forgotten. In most cases, the headstones have fallen and the prairie grass has overtaken them. This does not look like a place of peaceful rest and honor for the dead but more a purgatory of forgotten internment. As I walked amongst the markers for the dead, I realized that this felt more like a place where earthly remains have been imprisoned as opposed to a location where they were set free.
Another sad fact that I noticed in this community of the dead is that most of those buried here were children - many under the age of three. Those born into 19th century central Illinois farm families had to be made of sturdy stuff and it was a miracle for any of them to reach adulthood. Life here at that time was rarely easy and not for the weak of resolve or constitution.
There were a number of locations where parents were buried next to the graves of their children. Often, there was quite a gap between the passing of a child and the death of the parents. I'm sure that those parents would understand how MK and I feel that something is missing every day since Ryanne's death. I'm almost sure that they would envy us for having had the amount of time with her that we did along with the fact that we have grown up in a world where it is just expected that your kids will outlive you. That was hardly the case some 160 years ago.
So there you have it. No tricks, no treats, and no celebration of ghouls and goblins. Just another dose of reality from me, Mr Sunshine. I hope you all had a lot of fun with this holiday. Sorry if I was a bit of wet blanket about it but celebrating a night when the dead supposedly walk the Earth really doesn't do anything for me anymore.